SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

TỈNH NINH BÌNH

ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC

(Đề thi có 04 phần, 13 trang)

KỲ THI TUYỂN SINH LỚP 10 THPT

NĂM HỌC 2025 - 2026

Bài thi môn chuyên: TIẾNG ANH

Ngày thi: 04/06/2025

Thời gian làm bài: 150 phút (không kể thời gian phát đề)

PART 1: LISTENING (2.0 points)

I. Listen to an interview with a fitness instructor called Matthew Johnson and choose the best answers. Write your answers A, B or C in the corresponding numbered boxes. (0.5 point)

Question 1. Why did Matthew decide to become a fitness instructor?

A. He realized the importance of regular exercise.

B. He supposed he could earn a lot of money.

C. He wanted to improve his fitness.

Question 2. Matthew isn’t doing any exercise at the moment because ______.

A. his ankle is extremely hurt

B. he’s recovering from an injury

C. he has too many classes

Question 3. According to Matthew, what is the best fitness program?

A. Taking regular exercise and eat good food.

B. Knowing well about their body.

C. Training their mind and their body.

Question 4. What do Matthew’s friends think about his way of life?

A. He focuses too much on healthy body and mind.

B. He concentrates on how to keep fit too much.

C. He cares about what to eat.

Question 5. Matthew advises listeners ______.

A. to enjoy themselves when they exercise

B. to follow his exercise routine

C. to do exercise as much as possible every day

II. Listen to a dialogue about volunteer activity at Hilary Lodge Retirement Home and fill in each blank with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (0.8 point)

III. Listen to a recording about Antarctica and choose the best answers to the following questions. Write your answers A, B, C or D in the corresponding numbered boxes. (0.7 point)

Question 14: Antarctica is, nowadays, described as a place of ______ for many visitors.

A. remote, hostile and uninhabited continent

B. great intellectual challenge

C. ultimate survival contest

D. wild and wonderful beauty

Question 15: Approximately, ______ of the world’s ice is contained in the ice-cap in Antarctica.

A. 90%

B. 70%

C. 58%

D. 50%

Question 16: In fact, that half of the nearby ocean gets frozen ______ the size of Antarctica in winter.

A. doubles

B. increases

C. breaks off

D. decreases

Question 17: Some ______ stations are included in research programme supporting science and technique in Antarctica.

A. all-year-round

B. half-year-round

C. summer-only

D. winter-only

Question 18: According to the recording, people in Antarctica research stations can do the following things EXCEPT ______.

A. cooking foods

B. having medical treatment and care

C. forecasting the weather by using a satellite

D. doing physical exercises

Question 19: How was the station named Zero One built?

A. It was built on huge sledges.

B. It was built on an ice-shelf.

C. It was built on land, hundreds of meters thick.

D. It was built on a large ship.

Question 20: The speaker is working as a ______ for in Antarctica.

A. map-maker

B. junior administrator

C. junior technician

D. research assistant

PART 2: LEXICO - GRAMMAR (2.0 points)

I. Choose the best option to complete each sentence. Write your answers A, B, C or D in the corresponding numbered boxes. (1.0 point)

Question 1. Jenny is complaining to John about losing her passport.

- Jenny: “Oh no! I can’t find my passport!”

- John: “______.”

A. Oh dear. Thanks for letting me know

B. Don’t worry. It will be back very soon

C. Chill out. You should be careful about it

D. Stay calm. Try to remember when you last put it

Question 2. We just took it ______ that all the volunteers would be readily available for the Ninh Binh-Green Campaign.

A. for granted

B. easy

C. into account

D. into consideration

Question 3. After taking some online tutorials, my English speaking skill is progressing in ______.

A. leaps and bounds

B. bounds and leaps

C. odds and ends

D. ends and odds

Question 4. It is mandatory that producing and selling fake goods ______.

A. is prohibited

B. must be prohibited

C. prohibit

D. be prohibited

Question 5. I know his name is “Jim”, but it was just a ______ of the tongue when I called him “Tim”.

A. slide

B. skid

C. skim

D. slip

Question 6. More people in my hometown ______ a green lifestyle because it is good for the environment.

A. adopt

B. conclude

C. compose

D. create

Question 7. If you leave your baggage ______ at the airport, it will be taken away.

A. inattentive

B. careless

C. unattended

D. neglectful

Question 8. To decorate my condo, I bought a ______ sofa and put it in the middle of the living room.

A. nice brown big leather

B. nice big brown leather

C. brown nice leather big

D. brown leather nice big

Question 9. Young people are ambitious by nature, so they tend to ______ their sights on whatever they do.

A. set

B. view

C. catch

D. see

Question 10. I ______ Pickleball by accident, but once I have started, I loved it.

A. got by

B. got over

C. got through

D. got into

II. Give the correct form of the bold words in capital to complete the following passage. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (0.5 point)

The response of most animals when suddenly faced with predator is to flee. Natural selection has acted in a variety of ways in different species to enhance the (11. EFFICACIOUS) of the behaviors, known as “flight behaviors” or escape behaviors that are used by prey in fleeing predators. Perhaps the most direct adaptation is enhanced flight speed and (12. AGILE) .

Adaptations for speed, however, are likely to require sacrifices, so we might expect only some species to adopt a simple fast flight strategy. Another way of enhancing the effectiveness of flight is to move in an erratic and (13. PREDICT) way. Many species, like ptarmigans, snipes, and various antelopes and gazelles, flee from predators in a characteristic zigzag fashion. Rapid (14. EXPECT) changes in flight direction make it difficult for a predator to track prey. In some species, like the European hare, erratic zigzag flight might be more effective in the (15. PRESENT) of predators that are faster than they are and straight flight more efficient against predators that are slower.

III. There are 5 mistakes in the following passage. FIND and CORRECT them. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. One example has been done for you. (0.5 point)

0. the => a

While TikTok can be fun and entertaining, there are number of dangers that come with using TikTok. Nevertheless, it's so important for parents to set up parental controls on the app. By doing so, you can help to keep your children safe while they use TikTok. One of the risks of TikTok is that it can be highly addictive. If left checking, kids can easily spend hours on the app, which can interfere with their everyday lives. Parental controls can help parents limit their children's screen time on TikTok to a healthy amount. This can help kids balance their use of technology with other outdoor activities such as playing sports or socializing with family and friends. Another reason to set up parental controls on TikTok is to block appropriate content. The app's algorithm can expose users to mature content that is not suitable for children or teenagers. Parental controls can help parents block this type of content from being displayed in their children's feed. This can help to protect kids with seeing videos that are too violent, sexual or age-unsuitable.

PART 3: READING (2.5 points)

I. Read the text below and choose the answer that best fits each of the blanks in the following passage. Write your answers A, B, C or D in the corresponding numbered boxes. (0.5 point)

Instead of just reading about different cultures in books, festivals let young people experience them firsthand. They get to try new foods, see amazing clothes, and learn cool dances from other countries. Imagine a kid trying on a colorful Mexican sombrero or dancing to the beat of Brazilian drums! This opens their eyes to new things, challenges their ideas about the world, and (1) ______.

In today's busy world, sometimes kids can feel lonely. But festivals bring people together, creating a big, happy community. (2) ______, they can share traditions, and have fun together. Whether it's singing along to a catchy song or cheering in a parade, these experiences make them feel a sense of belonging and help them connect with their own heritage (3) ______. Imagine shy kids laughing and making friends with people from different countries, such memories will last a lifetime!

Festivals teach valuable lessons that stick with kids long after the fun is over. Seeing people from different cultures helps them be more open-minded and knowledgeable. (4) ______. When kids do voluntary work during a harvest festival, they will learn about helping others. The spirit of giving back is often part of these celebrations, (5) ______ for their communities.

Question 1.

A. like global citizens makes them think

B. makes global citizens think like them

C. makes them think like global citizens

D. makes them like global citizens think

Question 2.

A. Meeting others from different backgrounds

B. To meet others from different backgrounds

C. Having met others from different backgrounds

D. Met others from different backgrounds

Question 3.

A. or learn about new cultures

B. but learn about new cultures

C. because of learning about new cultures

D. by learning about new cultures

Question 4.

A. It is very important in today's connected world

B. Being very important in today's connected world

C. This is very important in today's connected world

D. Which is very important in today's connected world

Question 5.

A. which teaches about responsibility and caring by kids

B. to teach kids about responsibility and caring

C. teaching kids about responsibility and caring

D. by teaching kids about responsibility and caring

II. Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each question. Write your answers A, B, C or D in the corresponding numbered boxes. (1.0 point)

METEORITE IMPACT AND DINOSAUR EXTINCTION

There is increasing evidence that the impacts of meteorites have had important effects on Earth, particularly in the field of biological evolution. Such impacts continue to pose a natural hazard to life on Earth. Twice in the twentieth century, large meteorite objects are known to have collided with Earth.

If an impact is large enough, it can disturb the environment of the entire Earth and cause an ecological catastrophe. The best-documented such impact took place 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period of geological history. This break in Earth’s history is marked by a mass extinction, when as many as half the species on the planet became extinct. While there are a dozen or more mass extinctions in the geological record, the Cretaceous mass extinction has always intrigued paleontologists because it marks the end of the age of the dinosaurs. For tens of millions of years, those great creatures had flourished. Then, suddenly, they disappeared.

The body that impacted Earth at the end of the Cretaceous period was a meteorite with a mass of more than a trillion tons and a diameter of at least 10 kilometers. Scientists first identified this impact in 1980 from the worldwide layer of sediment deposited from the dust cloud that enveloped the planet after the impact. This sediment layer is enriched in the rare metal iridium and other elements that are relatively abundant in a meteorite but very rare in the crust of Earth. Even diluted by the terrestrial material excavated from the crater, this component of meteorites is easily identified. By 1990 geologists had located the impact site itself in the Yucatán region of Mexico. The crater, now deeply buried in sediment, was originally about 200 kilometers in diameter.

This impact released an enormous amount of energy, excavating a crater about twice as large as the lunar crater Tycho. The explosion lifted about 100 trillion tons of dust into the atmosphere, and can be determined by measuring the thickness of the sediment layer formed when this dust settled to the surface. Such a quantity of material would have blocked the sunlight completely from reaching the surface, plunging Earth into a period of cold and darkness that lasted at least several months. The explosion is also calculated to have produced vast quantities of nitric acid and melted rock that sprayed out over much of Earth, starting widespread fires that must have consumed most terrestrial forests and grassland. Presumably, those environmental disasters could have been responsible for the mass extinction, including the death of the dinosaurs.

Several other mass extinctions in the geological record have been tentatively identified with large impacts, but none is so dramatic as the Cretaceous event. But even without such specific documentation, it is clear that impacts of this size do occur and that their results can be catastrophic. What is a catastrophe for one group of living things, however, may create opportunities for another group. Following each mass extinction, there is a sudden evolutionary burst as new species develop to fill the ecological niches opened by the event.

Impacts by meteorites represent one mechanism that could cause global catastrophes and seriously influence the evolution of life all over the planet. According to some estimates, the majority of all extinctions of species may be due to such impacts. Such a perspective fundamentally changes our view of biological evolution. The standard criterion for the survival of a species is its success in competing with other species and adapting to slowly changing environments. Yet an equally important criterion is the ability of a species to survive random global ecological catastrophes due to impacts.

Earth is a target in a cosmic shooting gallery, subject to random violent events that were unsuspected a few decades ago. In 1991 the United States Congress asked NASA to investigate the hazard posed today by large impacts on Earth. The group conducting the study concluded from a detailed analysis that impacts from meteorites can indeed be hazardous. Although there is always some risk that a large impact could occur, careful study shows that this risk is quite small.

Question 6. In paragraph 2, why does the author include the information that dinosaurs had flourished for tens of millions of years and then suddenly disappeared?

A. To support the claim that the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous is the best-documented of the dozen or so mass extinctions in the geological record.

B. To explain why as many as half of the species on Earth at the time are believed to have become extinct at the end of the Cretaceous.

C. To explain why paleontologists have always been intrigued by the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous.

D. To provide evidence that an impact can be large enough to disturb the environment of the entire planet and cause an ecological disaster.

Question 7. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the location of the meteorite impact in Mexico?

A. The location of the impact site in Mexico was kept secret by geologists from 1980 to 1990.

B. It was a well-known fact that the impact had occurred in the Yucatán region.

C. Geologists knew that there had been an impact before they knew where it had occurred.

D. The Yucatán region was chosen by geologists as the most probable impact site because of its climate.

Question 8. According to paragraph 3, how did scientists determine that a large meteorite had impacted Earth?

A. They discovered a large crater in the Yucatán region of Mexico.

B. They found a unique layer of sediment worldwide.

C. They were alerted by archaeologists who had been excavating in the Yucatán region.

D. They located a meteorite with a mass of over a trillion tons.

Question 9. The word “intrigued” in paragraph 2 is CLOSEST in meaning to ______.

A. inspired

B. conveyed

C. approached

D. prevented

Question 10. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the following sentence? “Earth is a target in a cosmic shooting gallery, subject to random violent events that were unsuspected a few decades ago”. Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

A. Until recently, nobody realized that Earth is exposed to unpredictable violent impacts from space.

B. In the last few decades, the risk of a random violent impact from space has increased.

C. Since most violent events on Earth occur randomly, nobody can predict when or where they will happen.

D. A few decades ago, Earth became the target of random violent events originating in outer space.

Question 11. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT TRUE about the meteorite at the end of the Cretaceous period?

A. Its size and weight were enormous.

B. It was rich in rare metal iridium and other elements.

C. Its component was simply discovered.

D. It could be identified by the density of the sediment layer.

Question 12. The phrase “plunging…into” in paragraph 4 is CLOSEST in meaning to ______.

A. dropping…into

B. pushing…into

C. inserting…into

D. crashing… into

Question 13. Paragraph 6 supports which of the following statements about the factors that are essential for the survival of a species?

A. The most important factor for the survival of a species is its ability to compete and adapt to gradual changes in its environment.

B. The ability of a species to compete and adapt to a gradually changing environment is not the only ability that is essential for survival.

C. Since most extinctions of species are due to major meteorite impacts, the ability to survive such impacts is the most important factor for the survival of a species.

D. The factors that are most important for the survival of a species vary significantly from one species to another.

Question 14. The word “catastrophe” in paragraph 5 is CLOSEST in meaning to ______.

A. disappearance

B. survival

C. disaster

D. evolution

Question 15. According to the passage, in view of the standard criterion for the survival of a species, success in competing with other species and adapting to slowly changing environment is as critical as the ability to ______.

A. exist in unpredictable worldwide ecological catastrophes

B. overcome in a period of cold and darkness

C. evolve without being affected by ecological catastrophes at all

D. escape from unpredictable meteorites’ shootings outside the Earth

III. Read the following passage and do the tasks that follow. (1.0 point)

THE BIG SLEEP

The nature of sleep and the role it plays in our lives has long fascinated science and been the focus of many studies and a great deal of research.

Paragraph A

The benefit of receiving enough sleep is essential to our inner well-being. Not enough sleep, however, means that we lack the opportunity to restore ourselves physiologically, emotionally and cognitively. It affects our mood and can result in behavior and performance problems. When we sleep, our bodies rest but our brains are active. Sleep lays the groundwork for a productive day ahead. Although most people benefit the most from eight hours of sleep each night, this is not always what they manage to achieve. Men get slightly less sleep than women during the week (6.7 hours/night vs. 7.0 hours/night), but have fewer sleep problems, according to recent Sleep in America polls conducted annually by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

Paragraph B

According to current scientific thought, the human body is pre-programmed for sleep. At nightfall, cells in the retina (a light sensitive membrane connected to the eye by the optic nerve) send a sleep signal to a cluster of nerve cells in the brain. These nerve cells are concentrated together in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and are located in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus which helps regulate body temperature. The SCN is also known as the circadian clock. This biological ‘clock’ relays the message to other parts of the brain which then signals the body that it is time to sleep. For instance, the pineal gland, also located in the hypothalamus, produces a substance called melatonin, which lowers body temperature, and causes drowsiness.

Paragraph C

A great deal of the information we now know about sleep and the physiological changes it causes in the brain can be traced back to the invention of the electroencephalogram in the 1950s. This machine allowed scientists to record the feeble electric currents generated on the brain without opening the skull and to depict them graphically onto a strip of paper. Brain-wave function could be examined and scientists could thereby observe sleep from moment to moment. In the 1970s it became possible for scientists to make assumptions about the role that correct breathing plays during sleep with the development of the technology to measure respiration. It was here that science really began to understand the nature of sleep and the role it plays in people's lives.

Paragraph D

As well as uncovering the physiological changes occurring during sleep. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that sleep concerns were a public health threat as serious as smoking and in the years since, medical researchers have linked sleep disorders with many life-threatening diseases. Even though more than 70 million Americans have a sleeping problem, most cases go undiagnosed and untreated, so the true economic and sociological damage caused by these disorders is unknown although, the economic cost is conservatively estimated to be billions of dollars a year in health care costs and lost productivity. Breathing problems during sleep represent by far the greatest proportion of sleep disorders and cause the most concern, with studies showing that between 50% and 80% of stroke and heart failure patients have breathing problems during sleep.

Paragraph E

Scientific studies have found that children who are identified as snorers or those who have poor sleeping patterns at around the age of four or five, scored lower than average in Intelligence Quotient (IQ) tests, not only during the sleep deprivation period but subsequent to that. There are also suggestions that ongoing sleep deprivation in adults can cause permanent damage.

Paragraph F

Teenagers can have peculiar sleep requirements. It has always been known that adolescents spend more time sleeping than adults, but science has only recently isolated the reasons for this. Research now shows that growth hormones are secreted during slow-wave sleep and teenagers do indeed, need more of this kind of sleep than at any other stage in their lives. Chronic lack of sleep among teenagers means that as a group they are more likely to use stimulants and experience negative mood swings. Statistics also indicate that young drivers are responsible for more than one-half of fall-asleep crashes.

Paragraph G

However, it is not just young people who pay the price for lack of proper sleep. Workers are robbing themselves of sleep in order to increase productivity in both their social and working lives. In recent years, however, the identification of driver fatigue as the possible cause of 1/3 of all accidents provides some indication of the price we are paying for such a trade-off. Extensive scientific research indicates that chronic tiredness has been the cause of environmental disasters, nuclear mishaps and several well- documented near misses in the air. Scientists are beginning to argue that the lengthening of the working day is harming workers, their families and society. In the long run, productivity will suffer.

Questions 16-21: Choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs A-G from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate numbers (i-viii) in the corresponding numbered boxes. One example is done for you. There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.

Questions 22-25: Complete the summary with words taken from the passage. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer in the numbered boxes.

The article discusses the importance of sleep, emphasizing that insufficient sleep affects mood, (22) , and performance. Sleep is essential for physical, emotional, and cognitive restoration, and studies suggest that most people need around eight hours of sleep each night. The human body has a (23) , influenced by light signals, that regulates sleep patterns. Research has pointed out the connection between (24) and serious health risks like heart disease and stroke. Sleep deprivation in children and teens can impact IQ and mood, while in adults, (25) fatigue contributes to workplace accidents and reduced productivity.

PART 4: WRITING (2.5 points)

1. Email writing (1.0 point)

You role-play as an English club leader at your school. Write an email of 120-150 words to the Vietnamese Minister of Ministry of Education and Training to propose a plan for gradually using English as the second language in schools in the future.

In this email, you should mention:

- benefits and challenges of using English as the second language

- suggested solutions to achieve the goals

You must NOT write your own name and address. Begin and finish your email as:

Dear Mr. Son Nguyen,

Yours sincerely,

Hoa

II. Essay writing. (1.5 points)

Many teenagers think that in today’s world it is quite difficult for them to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this viewpoint?

Write an essay of about 180 - 200 words, using specific reasons and examples to support your answer.